It is that time of year again – Back to School and the ads are everywhere. However, the one thing I noticed this year that was very different is that some of the big brands have added a bit more participatory marketing into their existing promotional efforts. One of the more innovative on that front has been Bed Bath & Beyond. In a series of print ads placed across several magazines Bed Bath & Beyond is mixing it up by including its standard 20% off coupons along with a participatory marketing twist. For the ad placed in People Magazine that twist includes a “Student of Invention” participatory marketing promotion that encourages readers to submit a great dorm room product idea. Similar to the My Starbucks idea effort, the ad calls for readers to submit ideas.  Ideas in this case are “to help students conquer the challenges of dorm room living: space, organization, storage, cleaning, lighting, comfort and decorating.” Done in partnership with Edison Nation, the ad goes on to say the winning invention may be sold in the more than 900 Bed, Bath and Beyond stores across the nation. For more information on the program and to enter your idea visit the Bed Bath & Beyond website.

In a related effort, a Bed Bath & Beyond ad found in Real Simple the same week, offers readers the possibility to win $55,000 for college and a $10,000 donation to the college of their choice if they user their MasterCard at Bed Bath & Beyond between July 1 – September 8, 2009. The ad looks and feels very similar to the ad found in People magazine with three fourths of the ad devoted to the promotion and remaing portion to the coupon, but obviously the message is very different. So what is so intriguing about Bed Bath and Beyond’s effort here? Lots.

1. A mix of old & new approaches. The 20% coupon is a Bed Bath & Beyond staple. While Bed Bath & Beyond may not be completely comfortable messing with success the latest effort demonstrates the company is willing to try or at least test something new and embraces customer participation as a key component of the effort. I suspect coupon redemption tracking and impact on sales will yield some great learnings.
2. Media/offer targeting and the social web. It is very interesting to look at the placement and demographics of each ad. As an example, People Magazine’s demographics index very high among 18-24 year olds and those under 44. One look at Forrester’s social technographics and you can see that the audience comprises a segment of the population that is very active on the social internet and includes a high number of joiners (maintain social networking profiles) and creators (publish blogs, upload video, write articles/stories and post them), which is very aligned to the promotion activity required. On the other side we have the ad in Real Simple whose average reader skews older at 44.  In fact, about 52% of Real Simple readers are between 35-54, according to the media kit. Here again, a look at Forrester’s social technographics data provides some interesting insights - this segment is much less active on the social internet. Therefore it seems fitting that the promotional element showcased in the ad in Real Simple requires no participation outside of a purchase at Bed Bath & Beyond in order to be automatically entered into the sweepstakes. Coincidence? I think not. To me it looks like Bed Bath & Beyond took the time to think about its target audience segments and built relevant offers that would best appeal to each.
3. Tracking. This is a company that has, in many respects, has taken a mass marketing approach to the market. Each and every month one thing was certain in our household – that 20% off coupon from Bed Bath & Beyond could be found in the mailbox. This latest effort demonstrates that Bed Bath & Beyond is willing to mix it up a bit and it looks like they are doing it intelligently with a targeted approach that most likely includes sophisticated tracking that can not only measure lift in sales and redemptions but participation as well.

Congratulations to Bed Bath & Beyond for demonstrating the importance of understanding your audience and building a corresponding offer and media strategy that encourage participation.

‘Til Next Time.